July 17, 2014

Hello, I would like to introduce myself as the newest member of SACE’s public education team. Like the rest of the team here, I am excited to work towards creating an inclusive and safe community. I hope to find time throughout my daily work to make contributions to this blog.

Recently, I made an interesting discovery amidst the online articles of the BBC news. Marvel superhero, Thor, will now be portrayed as a female. In recasting Thor, Marvel Comics is hoping to attract female readers to the comic book series. Thor is a full-bosomed, curvaceous blonde. Marvel editor, Will Moss, reportedly affirmed: “…this new Thor isn’t a temporary female substitute, she’s now the one and only Thor, and she is worthy!” (BBC News. 2014. Avengers director reacts to Marvel’s female Thor. Retrieved from: http://www.bbc.co.uk).

Approximately two years ago, Lego introduced a line of pink and purple blocks for girls. The assumption that girls should not, or do not want to, play with regular Lego reinforces outdated and inaccurate conceptions of gender and gender roles. Feminism requires these misconceptions to be challenged through the full integration of female presences into already existing male arenas. Creating a subset of female-coloured blocks is not enough. While it may appear that Marvel is attempting to fully integrate female presences into the male-dominated sphere of comic book culture, the new Thor character does nothing but reflect the hypersexualization of women already prevalent in comic strips. I wonder, and unfortunately doubt, that Thor would be considered worthy if her breasts were substantially smaller. The female presences integrated into these predominantly male arenas must reflect a variety of female attributes. This variety will, in turn, portray the reality that femininity exists upon a spectrum in which there are multiple and diverse means though which femininity exists and is expressed.

Please use my email (provided below) to make any comments or suggestions for future pieces.